The present invention is concerned with the preparation of food products in the form of blown beads, and particularly to the preparation of food products in the form of round spherical free flowing expanded beads.
A number of food products are prepared by spray drying expandable liquid compositions to obtain edible blown beads. Such products include edible bulking materials, food flavorings, food sweeteners, food colorings, spices, dehydrated drinks such as tea, coffee, and flavored drinks.
The spray drying of products suitable for human consumption involve certain precautions and limitations in view of the materials employed. For instance, temperatures of the drying and the length of time that the food material can be exposed to elevated temperatures are limited because of their possible detrimental effect on the quality of the product.
Many of the blown beads do not have particle shells sufficiently strong to maintain their integrity and resist vapor holes from forming during expansion or resist crushing during shipment. This results in a nonuniform looking product which detracts from its commercial appeal.
A further recurring problem in preparing blown beads of food products is control of the bulk density of the blown bead. This is especially important in consumer products where the product may be used by the spoonful. This is also important in packaging in a container of predetermined volume where slack fill and excessive overfill are to be avoided.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing edible products in the form of round spherical free flowing blown beads whereby the bulk density of the beads can be regulated and rendered substantially uniform. A further object of the present invention is to provide a process whereby the strength of the particle shell or walls are increased thereby greatly reducing, if not substantially eliminating altogether, the formation of vapor holes.
A further object of the present invention is to provide as much as possible the agglomeration of undivided blown beads during the processing.